Sweet Affliction [Sweet Awakenings 4] (Siren Publishing Classic) (22 page)

* * * *

“How are you doing, Nicky? You didn’t overexert yourself did you?”

“Shut the hell up. What’s up? Change of plans?”

Nick wasn’t amused by his friend’s laughter on the other end. “Did I say something funny?”

“No, sweetheart. I’m just worried about your wound.”

“All right already. So you heard us talking. What’s going on?”

“You have three hours until rendezvous time. Wanted to make sure you’re set. We need you stateside so we can figure out what the hell is going on.”

“I think I already know.” He took a steadying breath. He felt like someone had taken a baseball bat to his side.

He explained to Adam the story as he heard it from Liam. Going into detail, he went over the night with Tom on the boat. The details were minimal as everything had happened so fast, but he wanted Adam, Rex, and Jack to have as much a head start on gaining intel before they arrived stateside. Finishing his call, he went over last-minute instructions and told Adam to get as much information they could on Commander Broderick before they arrived.

Apparently his old friend Rex was more well off than he knew. Not only had he arranged for the plane but someone would be at the bungalow shortly with some clothes for him and keys to something Adam referred to as an inconspicuous vehicle, something that wouldn’t raise the local’s eyebrows.

He heard the shower shut off, and thoughts of being inside of AJ and falling asleep with her against him filled his head. He knew they didn’t have time for anything other than being focused on getting to the airstrip in time to catch their ride.

He rose from the bed and went to the bathroom. Opening the door, he was met with a vision of pure delight. AJ was standing in the shower, dripping wet with her hair tangled and framing her face.

The sight woke up more than his eyes. His cock hardened, and memories of her screams and trembles filled his mind. Shaking his head, he grinned at her and came toward her. He grabbed a towel off of the bar and held it out for her. She stepped out of the tub and walked into his open arms. He wrapped the terry cloth around her, embracing her.

Her eyes looked at him as though she was searching for a sign of some kind. A clue of what he was thinking, he figured. He hated that she seemed so unsure at times.

He dipped his head down and kissed her. It wasn’t a soft and gentle peck. It was a kiss of possession. One that said he was staking his claim. No matter how much he loved it, he forced himself to pull away.

“Sweetheart, I need to shower. Can you get your things packed? Maybe make us a couple of sandwiches for the road?”

“Yes. Of course. Are you okay? You didn’t hurt yourself when we…” Her eyes looked away, and her cheeks flushed.

Damn she was pretty and so very sweet. “When we made love? No, sweetheart. I’m just fine. Now get going. We’re running low on time.”

She nodded and headed from the room. He started the water and tried to ignore his need to go back to the bedroom, lie her down and do something to relieve the ache he was feeling. It perplexed him how easily the mere sight of AJ could send his body into a state of instant arousal. She was the exact opposite of every woman he’d ever been with, and clearly the exact thing he’d always wanted.

He got in the shower and allowed the hot water to bounce off his skin. The heat helped cure his achy side and diminish some of the pain. Applying a liberal amount of shampoo, he thoroughly washed his hair and allowed the bubbles to trail down his body. The shampoo was clearly hers. It had a strong floral scent, and he could remember smelling it as he drifted off to sleep earlier.

Making quick work of the rest of his body, he finished and turned off the shower. Toweling off, he quickly wrapped the towel around his waist and headed for the front door. The bell had just rung, and he’d forgotten to tell AJ someone was coming. He opened the door and found her standing on the other side. Fear was in her eyes.

“A man is at the door. I didn’t answer it.”

“I know. It’s okay. He’s here bringing me supplies and a vehicle. Finish up what you’re doing. We have to leave in about fifteen minutes if we’re going to have enough time.” He kissed her and headed for the door, not wanting the man to leave.

Fifteen minutes later, Nick was dressed and AJ stood before him with a suitcase in hand. Again she managed to surprise him. Being a woman, he mistakenly assumed she would have several suitcases and bags to take on their journey. It was just one more contradiction to add to the growing list of all the ways that AJ was different from the average woman.

“You all set?”

She nodded her head but looked nervous again. A sight he was growing tired of seeing. He hated that she felt anything other than safe or happy with him. He hoped once all this was over and he was able to reclaim his life, he would be able to make sure that look never returned. That she never felt unsure or uneasy about their relationship again.

“Come on then. Let’s get out of here.”

They walked down the hall, and he waited with his hand on the small of her back while she stopped at the room where her father had passed. He said nothing while she stared into the room. She needed this moment of silence to say good-bye to the place where he took his last breath. Only when she started to move did he fall in place behind her.

Once outside he loaded her bag into the trunk of the beaten-up old Chevrolet. The paint had rusted in most places, and only small traces of the once green and white two-tone paint job remained. Not that it mattered. All he wanted was to get off this damn island and back stateside with his former teammates so they could finally figure out what the hell they were going to do.

He started the engine and reached a hand over to AJ. She placed her hand in his, and he pulled out on the dirt road. They were on their way and hopefully one step closer to the end of this nightmare. He only hoped they could get things settled before it was time to bury Liam. He wanted to be able to stand beside AJ and salute the man who saved his life and brought the woman he loved into his life.

Adam paced the area around the Escalade. He and Rex had arrived at the airstrip a half an hour early just in case the plane carrying Nick and AJ arrived sooner than expected. What he hadn’t anticipated was the plane being over twenty minutes late.

“I don’t like this.”

“Relax, man. They’ll be here.”

Rex was trying to assure him, but he knew him well enough to see he was worried, too. They left Jack back at the hotel with the women on the off chance they had been tracked down. As much as he loved his wife and adored Tamara and Shelby, they were far from being prepared to defend themselves against a professional hit.

“We should call and check on things back at—” Adam stopped in mid-sentence when he heard the sound of an engine in the distance.

Both he and Rex looked around for the source. Finally over the small mountain they saw a Cessna coast into sight.

“That them?”

“Not sure. He said he’d give us a signal.”

Rex went around to the driver’s side of the vehicle and turned on the headlights, flashing them three times. They waited a second and saw the plane dip its left wing two times.

“It’s them.” Rex closed the door and stood at the front of the vehicle.

A minute later and the small plane made a rough landing on the rocky ground. It slowed down to a stop a dozen yards away from the vehicle. When the engine stopped Rex and Adam made their way toward them.

The door opened to the small cockpit, and Rex handed the stocky man a rolled up wad of cash while exchanging a few words.

The door to the cabin opened, and for the first time in months Adam caught a glimpse of his friend, the one he thought he’d laid to rest just two days before. He waited while Nick helped the woman he now knew to be AJ out of the plane. Just by the way he held his hands at her waist Adam knew there was something different about this one. She may have helped save his life and care for him, but something told Adam that the connection between the two went much deeper than that.

“You’re the best-looking dead man I’ve ever seen.” Rex met Nick and gave him a hug. “How the hell are you, brother?”

Nick shrugged. “Had better stretches of R and R, that’s for sure.” He placed an arm around AJ. “This is AJ. My nurse and savior.”

Adam couldn’t help but grin when the shy girl looked down after blushing.

“Please to meet you, ma’am. I guess we owe you a debt of gratitude.” Rex extended a hand to her, which she accepted.

Nick cocked his head at Adam. “Sorry about the e-mail, brother. I had to get your attention.”

He shook his head. “Shut the hell up. Damn am I glad you’re all right.” He gave him a brotherly hug, patting his shoulder. “I’m sorry about Tom. He was a damn-fine man.”

“Yeah. That he was.”

“Look, let’s get back to the hotel and meet up with Jack and the girls. We’ve got strategy to discuss.” Rex motioned for the Escalade.

Nick laughed. “What the hell is that?”

“That, my friend, is our inconspicuous undercover mobile.” Adam winked at AJ, who looked as nervous as a mouse trying to get cheese off of a snap trap.

“That is inconspicuous? What…they didn’t have one with sirens and flashing lights?”

“Laugh all you want. No way in hell will anyone be looking for three retired Navy SEALs in this thing.”

“Adam my brother, you always were crazy like a fox.”

Rex laughed. “He’s just plain crazy. The women picked it out.”

They all piled in the SUV. Adam watched in the rearview mirror as Nick tended to AJ like she was a crystal figurine. He helped her with her seatbelt and brushed some hair out of her face.

Adam couldn’t help but smile. Nick always did have a way with the ladies, but it seemed this one had him wrapped around her little finger. How she managed to do it in the midst of all that was happening he had no idea, but one thing was for sure. If Nick Slater was hooked on a woman, she must be one hell of one.

* * * *

An hour later the four of them sat around the small table in the even tinier hotel room. Nick was thankful to be in the company of his brothers and even more thankful that they were all okay. When they got back to the room and he heard of their near-fatal attack after scattering his ashes, it sent a chill up his spine. The fear he saw in AJ’s eyes made his anxiety worse. He hated that look she would get and vowed to end this quickly so he could work on making sure he didn’t see it anymore.

He listened as Jack went over all they’d learned since his short conversation with Adam. It seemed Commander Broderick was released from the Naval Consolidated Brig in Miramar a month ago. An astonishing five years earlier than his scheduled release date. The man apparently lived like a king when inside, not suffering much for the crime he committed.

Almost ten years ago Commander Broderick was frustrated with his stagnate military career. Having served nearly five years at the level of commander, he was passed up time and again for promotion to the next rank of captain. He took a chance and authorized a mission using two SEALs, Rex and Jack, to go in hot with two men from the Army’s Nightstalker division to go behind enemy lines and take out a known terrorist in one of his safe houses.

The intel he provided the men with was sketchy at best, but the four of them went in and did the best their training allowed. What none of them was prepared for was that their source had sold out to the highest bidder and tipped off the terrorist.

The helo carrying the four of them was damaged when the propeller was shot, before they even got close to their intended target. The two Army Nightstalkers, Jenkins and Rollingsworth, were killed in the firefight that ensued following their landing.

The cluster fuck of the mission would have been bad enough, but it went from bad to ten different shades of fucked up when Commander Broderick called off any search-and-rescue attempts, telling his superiors that the four of them went rogue and went in without authorization.

For nearly eighteen hours Jack and Rex held off their attackers and tried to keep themselves and Jenkins alive, who was barely holding on due to his injuries. If it wasn’t for a lieutenant who overheard a call that Commander Broderick had with someone as he tried to cover his ass, Jack and Rex would’ve been left out there to die. Up until then all of their distress calls were ignored.

When he and Adam finally arrived with Tom on the search-and-rescue mission to get their collective asses out of there, Jenkins had expired and Rex and Jack were just about out of ammunition. They barely got out of there with their lives. The terrorists had doubled their man power in the time it took before they made it there. It would have been mere minutes before they were ambushed, and Rex and Jack would’ve been buried along with Jenkins and Rollingsworth.

The mission was the reason behind Jack and Rex retiring early and the subsequent incarceration of the son of a bitch Broderick who played with their lives as if he was playing a game of Call of Duty and not dealing with actual people.

Nick knew Commander Broderick always was an arrogant son of a bitch, and obviously spending years in the brig did nothing to his personality. Rather than have remorse for what he did, it seemed he spent his time—labeled by the senior officers at the Naval Consolidated Brig as good behavior—plotting revenge against the men who testified against him in the investigation following the rescue mission.